"She just let you go to the castle like that?" Tu Kuang asked curiously when he saw Xiao Hua walking back. He himself had obtained the Assassin Badge by passing the test in the castle. Under normal circumstances, Lea would not actively inform players about the alternative path to the castle for testing. He knew about this path because he heard about it during a quest from an NPC and then inquired with Lea, who revealed the information.
Now that he had shared this news with Xiao Hua, and Xiao Hua mentioned it to Lea, Lea naturally would not hide it. However, Lea, an NPC who loved watching matches, insisted that players win a match in front of her before allowing them to take the test in the castle. Without winning a match, even if they went to the castle, the NPCs there would not take them seriously, and there would be no test.
"Oh, I met her sister." Xiao Hua smiled awkwardly and then asked Tu Kuang, "What is the test in the castle?"
Since Tu Kuang knew about this path, he must have some idea about the test.
"In general, it involves killing monsters, but the specifics of the test are entirely random. Different professions and attribute types will face different monsters. As far as I know, even if you have the same profession and attribute type, the monsters you need to kill may vary," Tu Kuang shook his head.
"However, the general process is the same. When you find the NPC in the castle, she will send you to three rooms. Each room contains one or more monsters. Clearing all the monsters in a room counts as passing. Successfully clearing all three rooms means you've passed the test."
"But there is one thing you should know, which might be useful to you. If you find the monsters too strong, you can exit the room; the monsters won't follow you out. Just remember that when you enter again, the monsters will be fully restored," Tu Kuang added.
"What kind of attributes does the Assassin Badge have?" Xiao Hua was more interested in the mysterious item whose attributes were unknown.
"Hehe, that's a secret. If you can get it, you'll find out. If you can't, it's better not to know. But I can tell you that the badge obtained through the castle test has some differences compared to the one obtained through the arena matches. It has slightly more attributes than the regular badge, which are quite practical, especially for Assassins and Thieves," Tu Kuang grinned.
---
The gate of Black Mist City faced east, and Xiao Hua had always trained on the eastern side of the city. The vast sea was also in the eastern region. As for the western side, Xiao Hua had never explored it. With the vast map and the time-consuming journey to the training grounds, he had no interest in exploring the vast wilderness. It wasn't that he disliked exploration, but aimless exploration was inefficient and often wasted time.
Finding a castle in this direction would have taken considerable time without Tu Kuang's guidance. Although Lea said the castle was not far, it still took Xiao Hua nearly two hours on his landstrider to arrive at the coordinates given by Tu Kuang. The landstrider, which he had raised for almost a month by feeding it high-quality feed, was close to leveling up to level 2, though it was still far from becoming a flying mount at level 4. Raising a mount to level 4 typically took around six months.
Crossing the plains west of Black Mist City and traversing a sparse forest for nearly half an hour, Xiao Hua finally arrived at a massive round-topped castle. This conclusion was based on the view through the tall side walls, revealing the round top of the castle and the four tall mage towers around it.
The castle appeared to be quite old, with a gray wall at its base layered with black asphalt. Thin vines climbed along the walls, occasionally blooming with colorful flowers.
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Following the wall to the castle gates, a path paved with white pebbles led inside, meticulously laid to ensure a smooth walk.
Although Xiao Hua had seen many intricate structures in Second World, stepping into this castle, which resembled the abode of Western vampires, still left him somewhat surprised.
Entering the castle, in the hall on the first floor, he found a young and beautiful noblewoman sitting at a small wooden round table, sipping a cup of tea.
This noblewoman was the NPC Hassan, responsible for the test.
"Hello, esteemed Lady Hassan. I was introduced by Miss Lea to undergo the Assassin Test," Xiao Hua greeted politely, knowing from Tu Kuang's experience that this noblewoman valued etiquette, and showing politeness might reduce the difficulty of the test.
"Welcome. I have received Lea's letter," Hassan put down her delicate teacup and nodded kindly.
Hassan appeared to be around thirty years old, wearing a silver-white low-cut noble dress. She adorned herself with shiny jewelry on her wrists and neck. Her fair and coldly elegant oval face, red lips, and black long eyebrows with a touch of light blue eye shadow made her strikingly attractive. In reality, such a mature and coldly elegant noblewoman would be irresistible to men, but in the game, Xiao Hua did not dwell on it too much.
"The situation is this. The basement storage room behind the castle was cursed by a wizard long ago. Anyone who enters will be attacked by monsters. These monsters sometimes wander into the castle, frightening people. Although they lose their power outside the storage room, suddenly seeing them can still cause a fright. Because of this, I have had difficulty hiring servants; they all get scared away. So, I had to ask Lea to find someone to help.
"This curse is peculiar. Despite repeated attempts to kill the monsters in the three rooms, no one has been able to break the curse. At this point, I no longer hope to lift the curse. If you can clear the monsters in the three rooms and bring temporary peace to the castle, I would be satisfied. As a descendant of nobility, I still have some influence in the Assassin Guild. If you can eliminate those monsters, I can write a recommendation letter acknowledging your strength, and the Assassin Guild will grant you the appropriate Assassin position."
An unbreakable curse? This sounds like a task with a hidden backstory.
"Lady Hassan, how can the curse be lifted completely?" Xiao Hua asked. He felt that lifting the curse would bring unexpected rewards.
However, Xiao Hua knew that even if there was a hidden quest, it would not be easy. If someone as powerful as Tu Kuang hadn't broken the curse, it would be challenging to trigger and complete the task.
"I am not sure. Even the origin of the curse is unclear. I only know from the previous owner that it was placed by a wizard. The curse existed long before I moved into the castle," Hassan shook her head.
Her answer matched Xiao Hua's expectations, leaving him somewhat disappointed.
Subsequently, Hassan led Xiao Hua out of the castle to a small wooden house behind it. Opening the door, they entered the empty house, which contained only a few shelves on the walls. On the floor was a locked rectangular wooden hatch.
"The storage room is under this hatch. Please be careful when you enter. If the monsters are too strong, retreat immediately. Those monsters have killed many people!" Hassan cautioned.
Hassan unlocked the hatch, revealing a staircase leading downward. Xiao Hua nodded and descended.
The staircase was not very deep, descending about six to seven meters before reaching the bottom. Xiao Hua found himself in a corridor leading to a hall with three wooden doors on three sides, representing the three storage rooms.
The basement was not particularly dark, with magic lamps placed at regular intervals along the walls. Standing in the hall, Xiao Hua examined the surroundings but found nothing unusual. He chose the leftmost door and pushed it open.
Inside was a much larger room than the hall, illuminated by several magic lamps. Due to the room's size, distant areas were dim and blurry, hard to see clearly. The floor was cluttered with scattered papers and various wooden crates piled in the corners.
Xiao Hua cautiously moved deeper into the room. The monsters had not spawned yet, so he waited for them to appear.
A white shadow silently materialized behind Xiao Hua!
Xiao Hua sensed a slight change in the light at the corner of his eye and was alarmed. He quickly turned and retreated to create some distance.
"A ghost?" Xiao Hua identified the creature behind him as a white ghostly entity.
The white ghost floated in the air like a mist, weightless and ethereal. It drifted towards Xiao Hua as he prepared to face it.